Along with the development of the display manufacturing technology, a liquid crystal display (LCD), as a mainstream of the flat-panel display, has gradually replaced a traditional CRT display. It has been widely used in TVs, computers and mobile phones due to its features such as light weight, small volume, radiation-free, excellent energy saving effect and high resolution. During the manufacture of a display panel of the LCD, the design and control of a cell thickness, as one of the pivotal technologies, will directly affect the LCD quality.
As shown in FIG. 1, an existing liquid crystal display panel of the LCD includes an array substrate 10′ and a color film substrate 20′ arranged opposite to each other to form a cell, and a liquid layer (not shown) arranged between the array substrate 10′ and the color film substrate 20′. In the related art, a thickness of the liquid crystal layer (i.e., the cell thickness) is mainly controlled by a spacer (PS) (which is usually formed on the color film substrate 20′) arranged between the array substrate 10′ and the color film substrate 20′. On the basis of its functionalities, the PS includes a primary PS 1′ and an auxiliary PS 2′. A first spacer support region 3′ is formed on the array substrate 10′ at a position corresponding to the primary PS 1′, and a second spacer support region 4′ is formed at a position corresponding to the auxiliary PS 2′. Generally, an upper surface of the first spacer support region 3′ is located at a position above an upper surface of the second spacer support region 4′. The main PS 1′ plays a major role in supporting, and only when an excessive external force is exerted to the liquid crystal display panel, the auxiliary PS 2′ play a supporting role.
FIG. 1 shows a traditional design for the PS made of an elastic polymer. The primary PS 1′ in FIG. 1 has been compressed somewhat at the time of no external force, and maintains the cell thickness. When a strong external force is repeatedly exerted to the liquid crystal panel, the PS will be compressed at a larger amount, and thus easily broken in the middle and then fall away from the substrate. As a result, an adverse display effect will be achieved, and the quality of the LCD will be seriously affected. Once an excessive external force beyond the tolerance capacity of the PS is exerted to the liquid crystal display panel, an irreversible damage will be caused to the liquid crystal display panel.
In order to overcome these drawbacks, the cross-sectional dimension of the primary PS 1′ may be increased so as to increase the external force desired for breaking the PS in the middle. In addition, an area of a lower surface of the primary PS 1′ may be increased so as to increase the adhesion thereof to the substrate, thereby to prevent it from falling away from the substrate. However, an increase in the whole cross-sectional dimension of the primary PS 1′ will deteriorate the elasticity of the PS, and as a result, the primary PS 1′ will lose its ability to adjust the cell thickness.